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Employer Quotes

The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing

They are talking about this topic: Occupation-Specific Skills

 

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Respondents who represent welding and fabrication occupations say it is difficult to find qualified welders; this is due, in part, to the lack of welding programs at high schools and junior colleges. Several employers hire workers with minimal experience and then train them on-site. Employers would like to see the creation of new welding programs.

Employer Quote Region
"We went to a statewide competition. There was a company there that wanted 200 welders. They were actually pulling people off the street saying, 'We will teach you how to weld. If you go through our program, we will pay you $9.50 an hour to learn this, and—if you pass—we will guarantee you a job.' So, they're really getting desperate in some of these areas." Northwest
"You stated in the last slide that the supply for welders is exceeding the demand at this point. But in the last four weeks, we have made four tours of which 245 welders are needed or wanted." Northwest
"And that's before it really hit out west in Dakota. We're losing people out there. And they're looking for welding programs just to supply welders out west." Northwest
"Sheet technology and welding." Northwest
"Some of the things we see—we don't hire too many welders—but when we do, we rarely see a recent grad or someone who has a certificate. Most of the time, seven out of the ten people, are backyard welders. They'll come in, and they don't pass the test." Northwest
"I would agree with that. We have a lot of applicants who are backyard welders and sometimes it's difficult to teach them that, 'The way you're welding isn't the right way to do it, so follow the lead's example,' and they'll say, 'I know how to weld; I've been doing it for 20 years.'" Northwest
"I think you were spot-on with welding and fabrication. We're all struggling to get welders. We've recently gone through a training session ourselves with colleges, and it was really helpful. But there is definitely a high demand for those folks." Northwest
"Employer 1: Welding is one area where we have really struggled in terms of finding and hiring. We've hired a lot of direct—off-the-street—from some of the local colleges in Alexandria. But that is one thing we're really focusing on right now. Another respondent and I are working on a more defined training program to train our existing internal employees because we've had a hard time finding externals that can come in with the skills. So, we're kind of honing the skills that we have, and we're starting to do a more comprehensive training on-site.

Question: Where are those new hires coming from? Are they from your region? Where are you getting them from?

Employer 1: There is definitely more of a majority that we're pulling external. We've saturated our market, but with orientations and stuff it seems that there are more and more from outside our area."		 Northwest
"Another thing that we're seeing that is going on is the welding fabrication. I know a company that is big on this—where they're starting to move into the high schools to try and fill that demand." Northwest
"Employer 1: There is a lot of competition for that in this area.

Employer 2: We share back and forth.

Employer 1: We steal back and forth."		 Northwest